Yet another Jeff/Shannon story, this time from Jeff's POV. YAY for something different than usual!
In Which Jeff Scares the Beep Out of Shannon and Hears About It
Fuck.
I've got to beat the shit out of Randy Orton this weekend, as well as try and meet up with Shannon. Oh hell, I have to check in on Matt too. That's way too many things to do in just a few days.
"JEFF!" Someone shouts at me and invades my studio. I hear the door bang shut just as something hits me from behind. "JEFF! You're home!" Arms wrap around my waist and squeeze.
I gasp, "Nice to see you too, Shannon. Could you let go now? It's sort of hard to breathe."
He unloops his hands slowly and comes into my field of vision.
"I can't believe you made it home before the Rumble. When Matt called me and said you'd managed to get home, I didn't believe him." Shannon Moore, my best friend for years, seems rather excited, more than usual even. He's practically bouncing, his blond and black hair falling from its ponytail in his excitement.
"Shan, take deep breaths. You'll pass out again if you don't calm down." I smile at him. "Yes, I made it back, but I'm only here for about two days before I have to head off to the Rumble." I sigh. "I'm not looking forward to dealing with Randy. I pissed him off with that 30 foot Swanton from those lights last week."
Shannon glares at me, and honestly, he's cute when he glares without his old makeup on. I tell him he looks like an angry chipmunk, and I think he does.
"I'm still pissed at you for that, jerk. How do you think I felt, watching you risk your neck and back like that? Seriously Jeff, I almost..." He glares again but won't say anymore. He punches my shoulder, but it's more of a "I'm still manly" punch than something to actually hurt.
"Sorry, Shan, but he deserved it. I'm not going to apologize for doing something that needed to be done. I will say that I didn't mean to scare anyone, and I know it could have ended my career."
Shannon huffs at me again. "You're an ass, you know that? I would have killed you if you'd gotten seriously hurt."
I rest a hand on Shannon's arm. "I know, and I didn't mean to upset you, but it needed to be done. Don't get upset over this Shannon, I'm fine."
He shakes off my touch. "No, you don't get it Jeff." He shakes his head at me.
"What do you mean?" I give him my full attention, forgetting the design I was working on in favor of trying to suss out the problem in my best friend.
He turns away from me, and I notice he's wearing one of my cut up shirts - an old one with my "J" logo on the front and the words "Subject to Change" on the back. I guess he really was upset - he only ever wears my shirts when I've done something stupid with my body that makes him upset. Matt's the same way really, only sporting my stuff when I've risked myself and he's worried.
"Shannon, did I scare you that much?"
He whips back around to stare at me. "Gods damn it all, Jeff, haven't you realized it yet?" His eyes are wide and almost scared. "I've loved you for years now, and I wasn't going to do anything about it, but this last fucking stunt of yours pushed my past what I could handle and I had to tell you before you kill yourself. I started crying that night, Jeff. I couldn't believe that you would risk yourself like that, even if it was to get even with Randy for his treatment of Matt."
Shannon's face is getting red, he's getting upset. I put my hand out onto his right forearm once more to try to get him to calm down. "Shannon, I'm sorry for upsetting you."
"Did you not hear me Jeff? I just told you that I love you! And all you can fucking say is that you're "sorry" for upsetting me?!" He pulls back from my touch and stares at me, his face a picture of hurt.
I am silent for long moments, taking in his words. "You love me?" I say at last, rather confused. "When did that happen? Hell, Shan, that's just weird. You know too much about me to love me." As soon as I say it, I know it was dumb to even think.
"Jeffrey Nero Hardy, you ass. I love you because of everything I know about you. I know how you fought and fought to get where you are now. I know how you failed the first few times you tried a Swanton. I know that you couldn't sleep in a room easily without Matt until you were ten. I know how you love your band, and it hurts you not to have time to record anymore. Damn it Jeff, you're my best friend. I love you, man." He shakes his head and takes a step backwards. He shifts nervously on the balls of his feet as though he's not sure whether to run away or jump me.
I just look at him, dumbstruck. Shannon Moore, my best friend... in love with me? I don't know what to say. "Shan? I've never thought of a relationship like that before with me and you. I haven't really thought of anyone in a relationship way in years, not since I won the Intercontinental Championship and got caught up in competition."
He nods and looks down at his linked hands. "I guess I shouldn't expect anything from you. I'll go away now and leave you to whatever you were doing before I glomped you." He turns away, sounding all sad and depressed, and heads toward the door out of my studio, and I jump up from my stool to stop him.
"Shannon, don't go. Just because I haven't thought about it before doesn't mean I won't want to think about it now. As we've been over before, you're my best friend, and that counts for something. You're in love with me, and that counts for something too. Now get back here." I hold out a hand to him as he faces me once more. He reaches out and grips my fingers, looking slightly up at me, he is shorter than me by four inches.
"Really?" He looks up at me hopefully and I smile before giving him a quick hug.
"Yes. We'll see what happens. I'll let you woo me." I smirk at him, glad to have my Shannon back to relatively normal.
He laughs at that and I'm happy to see him smile."Oh, you'll let me "woo" you? Nice one Jeff." He smirks and impulsively licks my cheek.
Wiping my cheek with my palm, I grin. "Oh, that's it Shanny, I'm gonna tickle you until you piss your pants." I advance on him and he laughs before he moves back.
"Ha, they're your pants." He sticks his tongue out before dashing out of my shop toward my house. I grin and chase after him, laughing the entire time.